Meadows to open office in Henderson County courthouse

Published: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 4:28 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 4:28 p.m.

Beginning Jan. 3, county citizens will have easier access to their representative when Congressman-elect Mark Meadows opens his main district office in the 1995 courthouse on Grove Street.

Meadows and county officials jointly announced the deal Tuesday. As many as four full-time Meadows staffers — and the congressman himself, when he's in the district — will occupy seven offices and a conference room on the ground floor of the new courthouse for at least two years under the agreement.

County Manager Steve Wyatt said commissioners agreed to pay for office renovations that include carpet, painting and moving a wall. Meadows will pay a flat monthly fee of $500 for utilities, but no rent for the now-vacant space.

Wyatt said county citizens would gain valuable access to their representative, along with the potential for local job creation that facilitates.

"I mean, a block off of Main Street in Hendersonville is basically going to be the epicenter of the congressional district," Wyatt said. "Being able to have that kind of access to the congressman and his staff when we are courting an economic development project, when we're developing the plans for economic development and those type of things, to be able to include these folks as part of the team is going to be critical. I don't think you can put a price tag on that."

In a phone interview, Meadows agreed with Wyatt that the courthouse location will help him stay in touch with citizens about issues such as the economy, jobs, veteran's affairs and agriculture.

"To me, it's all about making sure they have direct access to a federal contact so if there's an obstacle to job growth, they don't have to wait for a phone call; they can come right over and discuss it," Meadows said. "We have promised from day one that we'll have more openness and access than has ever been seen before in this district, and you can't have that without good, convenient constituent service."

Henderson County faced some stiff competition in luring Meadows' main office here. Swain, Clay, Macon and Jackson counties "all offered us space for $1 a year for some of their excess government offices," Meadows said.

Even the city of Asheville pitched them space, though it's no longer within the 11th District. But the 1995 courthouse offered benefits beyond a central location with good airport access and a solid political base of conservatives.

"In Henderson County, they have security in the courthouse, so that's a huge savings for us," Meadows said. "Ultimately, it benefits taxpayers and allows us to be accessible."

Meadows is currently negotiating with other local governments to set up more offices covering the breadth of the district, from Caldwell County all the way west to Swain, Clay or Cherokee counties. One likely will be a "stronger, full-time manned office" like the Hendersonville one, he said, while two other offices will probably offer "more limited hours."

Depending on his budget, Meadows foresees having perhaps two additional satellite offices "that would be more occasional, like once every three weeks."

Congressional budgets for office operations were cut 6 percent last year, Meadows said, and may get whacked another 8 percent this year.

Meadows estimated he'll personally be in Hendersonville about 20 percent of the time. He said the Hendersonville office will have three or four permanent staff members, including field representative and constituent service liaison Tate Apodaca, son of State Sen. Tom Apodaca.

"We're excited about being there in Henderson County," Meadows said. "Obviously, the county manager and the county commissioners have been very accommodating and we're encouraged about working with them and making sure we have a strong district office there."

<p>Beginning Jan. 3, county citizens will have easier access to their representative when Congressman-elect Mark Meadows opens his main district office in the 1995 courthouse on Grove Street.</p><p>Meadows and county officials jointly announced the deal Tuesday. As many as four full-time Meadows staffers — and the congressman himself, when he's in the district — will occupy seven offices and a conference room on the ground floor of the new courthouse for at least two years under the agreement.</p><p>County Manager Steve Wyatt said commissioners agreed to pay for office renovations that include carpet, painting and moving a wall. Meadows will pay a flat monthly fee of $500 for utilities, but no rent for the now-vacant space. </p><p>Wyatt said county citizens would gain valuable access to their representative, along with the potential for local job creation that facilitates.</p><p>"I mean, a block off of Main Street in Hendersonville is basically going to be the epicenter of the congressional district," Wyatt said. "Being able to have that kind of access to the congressman and his staff when we are courting an economic development project, when we're developing the plans for economic development and those type of things, to be able to include these folks as part of the team is going to be critical. I don't think you can put a price tag on that."</p><p>In a phone interview, Meadows agreed with Wyatt that the courthouse location will help him stay in touch with citizens about issues such as the economy, jobs, veteran's affairs and agriculture. </p><p>"To me, it's all about making sure they have direct access to a federal contact so if there's an obstacle to job growth, they don't have to wait for a phone call; they can come right over and discuss it," Meadows said. "We have promised from day one that we'll have more openness and access than has ever been seen before in this district, and you can't have that without good, convenient constituent service."</p><p>Henderson County faced some stiff competition in luring Meadows' main office here. Swain, Clay, Macon and Jackson counties "all offered us space for $1 a year for some of their excess government offices," Meadows said. </p><p>Even the city of Asheville pitched them space, though it's no longer within the 11th District. But the 1995 courthouse offered benefits beyond a central location with good airport access and a solid political base of conservatives.</p><p>"In Henderson County, they have security in the courthouse, so that's a huge savings for us," Meadows said. "Ultimately, it benefits taxpayers and allows us to be accessible."</p><p>Meadows is currently negotiating with other local governments to set up more offices covering the breadth of the district, from Caldwell County all the way west to Swain, Clay or Cherokee counties. One likely will be a "stronger, full-time manned office" like the Hendersonville one, he said, while two other offices will probably offer "more limited hours."</p><p>Depending on his budget, Meadows foresees having perhaps two additional satellite offices "that would be more occasional, like once every three weeks."</p><p>Congressional budgets for office operations were cut 6 percent last year, Meadows said, and may get whacked another 8 percent this year.</p><p>Meadows estimated he'll personally be in Hendersonville about 20 percent of the time. He said the Hendersonville office will have three or four permanent staff members, including field representative and constituent service liaison Tate Apodaca, son of State Sen. Tom Apodaca. </p><p>"We're excited about being there in Henderson County," Meadows said. "Obviously, the county manager and the county commissioners have been very accommodating and we're encouraged about working with them and making sure we have a strong district office there."</p><p>Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.</p>